Networks of the social brain

Theoretical framework
The advanced social skills of humans are rooted in neuroanatomical adaptations allowing us to handle increasingly complex social stimuli. Human superior temporal sulcus(STS) and its connections to other brain regions suggest the evolution of a network specialized for social cognitive processes, including emotion perception.Whether this network and its associated functions are unique to some primates remains debated. Dogs represent a promising model to address this debate, as domestication forced them to develop novel skills to read social cues and emotions from their human caregivers. We have recently linked a region in the dog temporal cortex, the caudal sylvian gyrus(cSG), to human emotion perception. Here, we will test
whether dogs’ social-cognitive capacities are underpinned by brain regions analogous to the STS
Objectives
We will systematically analyze and compare the functional and effective connectivity of the STS and the cSG with other regions in the brain and exploit the power of tailored analytic approaches such as representational similarity analysis and functional fingerprints to compare their function. We will integrate our findings to draw conclusions about the influence of the connections on the way a brain region represents social stimuli
Methods
We will compare the brain function and connectivity of humans and pet dogs (specifically trained to undergo extensive neuroimaging). Participants will undergo the same type of sessions, which are designed to determine the functional and effective connectivity as well as the representational geometry of brain regions involved in emotion perception:
1) Resting state. Task-free scanning sessions where participants will remain still inside the scanner, without any stimulation or task
2) Emotion-perception. Task-based scanning sessions using an event-related design. The stimuli will be short videos of human or dog actors, expressing emotions
3) Naturalistic stimulation.Short videos with a simple plot were human and dog actors will be shown alone or interacting with each other, and perform a series of actions including the demonstration of emotions with their body
Innovation
There is only a handful of labs worldwide that have the expertise and tools to perform the type of comparative research proposed. Dog neuroscience is an emerging field, but it has not taken full advantage of comparative tools. This project innovates by combining novel comparative neuroimaging tools, such as interspecies
functional connectivity “fingerprint” matching and interspecies representational similarity, using controlled as well as naturalistic stimuli. This will allow us to study how the visual information is transformed through different brain nodes from visual input to high-level emotion perception
Primary researchers involved
Dr.Raul Hernandez, currently at Eotvos Lorand University
Prof.Dr. Claus Lamm, University of Vienna
Prof.Dr. Ludwig Huber, University of Veterinary Medicine